LisaSH, your new handlebars

[rij73]

Sandra, did you try just rotating the bars upwards? You just loosen the bolts on the stem faceplate a little, and rotate the bars up so that the brake hoods are essentially closer to the bike. I had to do that when I got my bike. Made a big difference...

Also, some of it is just getting used to the new position. I would put in some miles before making drastic changes. I'm not saying that the bike definitely doesn't need changes, but you need to wait until you're sure that it's not all just a matter of getting used to it. Also stretch your legs, arms, and back thoroughly before getting *every ride* on the bike. I just made the transition from a hybrid to a road bike. The first few days I was petrified thinking I'd made a big mistake. But, then suddenly I felt comfortable! It requires a little more flexibility (hence the stretching recommendation). Try also to not tense up on the bike. That was a big problem for me.

[sandra]

I may try that rotation. I'd love to see a picture of your bike and your handle bar position.

The guy at the bike shop also told me he could move the brakes up a little higher, but he'd have to rewrap the handlebars.

[Trekhawk]

Sandra - get yourself Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists.
This is a great book with a large section on bike fit.

[Bad JuJu]

Yes, if you haven't tried rotating your handlebars upward, definitely try it. That's the easiest fix, if it works for you. Keep in mind that small changes can make big differences in how you feel on the bike, and you can't rotate the bars too much or it will become uncomfortable, maybe even impossible, to get your fingers around the brake levers.

As KnottedYet pointed out, the thing about smaller bars is that, while they don't bring the top bar closer to you, everything else ends up being closer and easier to reach: the brake hoods, brake levers, and the drops, if you use them. But again, I'd try the easier changes first: the rotation, and moving the position of the brakes up higher. Bike comfort is such a personal thing, and you never know what's going to help you until you try it.

[rij73]

I read somewhere that the most you should rotate your bars would have the ends pointing directly at the rear hub.

[Bad JuJu]

I read somewhere that the most you should rotate your bars would have the ends pointing directly at the rear hub.

I read that, too, and for all I know there could be a good reason for it, but I don't know what it is, other than too much rotation can make it impossible to use the drops and still reach the brake levers. On the other hand, I think a lot of this kind of received knowledge about bikes evolved from men's discussions of men's bikes and bike fit, so I'm prone to questioning it whenever it doesn't seem to work for my situation.

If the Salsa Poco bar doesn't work, I'd next try the Deda 4 Girls--it's shaped a little differently.